The Rollers and Gliders have a proud history at the IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships. Ahead of their 2026 campaigns, we look back at Australia’s record on the world stage before both squads take on their latest challenge.
The Rollers have competed at every IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships since the fourth edition in 1983. Their first tournament medal came in 2006, when Australia defeated the Netherlands 80–53 in the bronze medal match. The team was led by Brad Ness, who finished second in tournament scoring with 163 points, alongside current Roller Tristan Knowles.
That result sparked a medal run for the Rollers. In 2010, Australia claimed gold with a 79–69 win over France, led by Justin Eveson’s game-high 23 points and Shaun Norris’ 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The Rollers then defended their title in 2014, defeating the United States 63–57. That victory was built on emerging talent that continues to shape the team today, including Luke Pople, Tom O’Neil-Thorne and Knowles.
The Rollers last reached the podium in 2018, taking bronze with an 11-point win over Iran. After finishing seventh in 2022, Australia will be aiming to return to the medals in 2026 with a squad featuring both familiar names and rising stars.
The Gliders have competed at every woman’s IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships since the event began in 1990. They quickly found success, winning bronze in 1994 after defeating the Netherlands by two points. That squad featured legendary Paralympians including Liesl Tesch and Donna Ritchie.
The Gliders went on to complete a three-peat of bronze medals. In 1998, with the tournament hosted in Sydney, Australia defeated Japan 40–35 to earn a podium finish on home soil. Four years later in Japan, the Gliders again beat Japan in the bronze medal match, winning 43–39. The 2002 tournament was also the first major international event for current Glider Shelley Matheson. The Gliders have not stood on the World Championship podium since 2002. They finished fourth in both 2006 and 2010, while more recent results include two sixth place finishes and a ninth-place finish.
The Gliders booked their place at the 2026 tournament through the IWBF Women’s Repechage qualifiers in Madrid in June. They will be chasing success after Georgia Munro-Cook, Hannah Dodd, Taishar Ovens and Ebony Stevenson helped the Wombats win bronze at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The Gliders begin their campaign tonight against China at 11:45pm AEST, with the Rollers opening on Friday against Argentina at 2:15am AEST.
Every game of the World Championships will be streamed live on the official IWBF and Wheelchair Basketball Canada YouTube channels.
